Hawaii's "Big Island"
After securing Tarawa, the division was sent to Hawaii's "Big Island" (late Nov. 1943) The purpose was to rebuild the division and prepare it for the next campaign. Marines who'd become casualties were replaced with new Marines from the mainland, or from the Pearl Harbor's replacement pool.
The place where they set up camp on Hawaii was at Parker Ranch, which was one of the world's largest ranches. It lay four or five miles from the town of Hilo, which sat on the coast. This was the main town on the island and was the place where troops went for liberty. Hilo was typical of its time — brick and frame buildings with the usual corrugated roofs, palm trees lining the streets, and a waterfront. There were many bars and there were many thirsty Marines ready to take on the world after their battles in the South Pacific!
Hilo's civilian population was, of course, Asian, which lead to some ill will. Combat-hardened Marines were not in love with Asians; in fact, they were the enemy as far as Marines were concerned. A drunk Marine was not to be messed with, and they often confused Hawaii's locals with the Japs they'd fought on Tarawa and other islands, where they had seen their buddies cut down by Japanese soldiers. As a result, there were many fights between Marines and Hawaiian locals. The Marines were much larger and stronger, and often sent the locals crashing against walls. Of course, the troops were warned about their behavior and after a while the fights became less numerous.
Local poison
There were two routes into town. One was via the road that went through dried lava beds that were appallingly dusty. The black ash filled the air and covered the trucks and consequently the men who rode in them. They took their liberty uniforms in bags that kept them clean, changing upon arrival in town.
The other route was around the coast and was a few miles further in length. It was the scenic drive and generally the route the men took home to camp. They would ride the GI trucks into town and take a "sampan" taxi back to camp. This cost them a couple of dollars but it was worth it. The drive back was pleasant in the cool of morning, the road winding along beaches and among palm trees. Their usually hung-over heads cleared somewhat before they reached camp, when traveling the scenic route. These badly hung-over heads were often the result of drinking a local poison called Five Island Rum, which for some reason had a particularly bad effect on the drinkers. It seemed to bring out the violence in them more than any other drink.
One of several things done to boost the division's morale was staging a rodeo. Because the camp was on the Parker Ranch, a rodeo seemed only appropriate. The event was scheduled for early spring and was supposed to be for the men's fun and games, and it was. The division's Marines entered all events, even though some had never before even been to a rodeo, much less participated. They did their best to hang on to bucking broncos, rope steers, and ride bulls. Those who won did so by the skin of their teeth, and none set any records but a good time was has by all. They ate and drank and frolicked the whole day.
Lingering injury
The Kid had suffered an injury at some point in the occupation of Guadalcanal. It was a neck injury that couldn't be seen or felt from the outside. Still it was an injury and caused him much discomfort. He had not gone to the infirmary in New Zealand, thinking it would go away, as many such things do. But it had persisted and was not getting any better.
He went to the corpsmen and told them his story, whereupon he was examined. It was obvious they didn't know what to do as he had no hole to plug or a cut to stitch. The medics also gave the impression that they thought he was faking it for the purpose of getting transferred out of the division and back stateside, which was far from the truth as such a thought had never entered his mind. He only wanted the matter treated and cured.
As a let's-do-something effort, they gave him a shot of Novocain with a very long needle that reached down into his neck, which was very painful. He was sent back to his tent and told to relax and that they would follow up with massage and therapy, which did not happen. The medication didn't help the injury, but the sensation was one of euphoria. He could see how someone could get hooked on medications.
He went back to duty with the company and said nothing more about the injury, thinking that was all they were going to do about it.
Two weeks later they sent the Kid to the field hospital in Kamuela for further examination and treatment. This was during Xmas holidays and over New Years of 1943. They gave him more tests but could find nothing wrong, so they tagged him as a psychoneurotic and returned him to duty. Typical Navy.
The time came for the field dentist to make his entrance upon the scene. In the ensuing examination it was discovered that the Kid had a couple of teeth that needed attention. He was summoned to the dentist's tent near the compound and made ready for the treatment. The camp had no electricity, so the drilling was done by hand. The dental assistant sat on a device that looked like an upside-down bicycle used to turn gears, to which were attached the drill. He gave the Kid some morphine, which helped ease the pain of drilling and filling three teeth. Needless to say it was an ordeal, but fortunately he had no more dental work that needed to be done in the field.
Two weeks later he was called into an office and told to pack up as he was being transferred out of the company. He was surprised and confused as he had neither requested nor expected a transfer. He would've preferred to stay with the company and was not looking for a transfer. He and a few others from the division were driven to Hilo and put aboard ship for Pearl Harbor (Jan. 1944), destined for the transient camp outside Honolulu. There were acres of tents covering acres of ground, all of which was a giant mud flat. The area was covered with wooden runways that kept the tents off the ground and provided walkways for personal waiting to be sent south to replenish the division.
He lounged around there for about two weeks, going on liberty into Honolulu. Then he and one of the sergeants that came with him from the company were assigned to the guard companies at Marine Barracks, Pearl Harbor; first to C Company then later to D Company.
